PRO FOOTBALL

Neck Injury Sidelines Giants' Hilliard

By BILL PENNINGTON

Published: September 9, 1997

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Sept. 8—
Ike Hilliard, the rookie wide receiver whose skill, spunk and savvy made him one of the promising early season stars of the Giants, is expected to miss six to seven weeks, and possibly more, because of a neck injury sustained in Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The team said today that Hilliard, its No. 1 draft choice, had sprained the interspinous ligament, which connects protruding parts of the vertebrae known as spinous process. But people in football familiar with the exams made by doctors said today that there was some fear that Hilliard could be out for closer to three months because the extent of the injury was not known. Swelling, pain and spasms in Hilliard's neck have prevented doctors from conducting the tests they would like to make for a definitive diagnosis.

Hilliard, whose injury is between the sixth and seventh vertebrae, was X-rayed and received a magnetic resonance imaging test at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville on Sunday, and again at the Hospital for Special Surgery-Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan today. Hilliard, 21, was released from the hospital this afternoon.

The rookie from Florida was injured after catching a pass in the first quarter of the Giants' 40-13 loss. Sliding on his back at the end of a 23-yard completion, Hilliard was hit by Jacksonville safety Chris Hudson. Hudson's shoulder pads and knee hit the back of Hilliard's head, which snapped forward. Hilliard seemed dazed, and briefly lay motionless on the turf. He then got up and tried running off the field, but his knees buckled, and after several wobbly steps, he was assisted to the bench. He was brought into the locker room on a cart and then to Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville.

''At this point, Ike is going to wear a brace and rest the neck,'' the Giants trainer Ronnie Barnes said. ''Over the course of the next several weeks, the treatment plan could change. We want to conduct further tests and get more views of the injury. We will be able to do that when the spasm subsides. Those additional tests will give us a clearer picture.''

For the Giants and their quarterback Dave Brown, the loss of Hilliard is a major blow and comes only a week after the Giants offense showed signs it was dramatically improved from the unit that ranked last in the National Football League a year ago. With rookies such as Hilliard and running back Tiki Barber leading the way, the revival of the offense, while in its fledgling stages, seemed on course. Brown, who is under the most pressure to improve, raved about Hilliard and began to look for him almost as often as he did his favorite receiver, Chris Calloway.

Now Brown will again have to try to develop a rapport with the backup receivers Amani Toomer and Thomas Lewis. Neither had a good preseason. And in that time, Brown seemed comfortable only when throwing to Hilliard or Calloway.

At Giants Stadium today, Hilliard's injury left the Giants dispirited. A loss to the Jaguars, while disheartening, was not unexpected. But losing Hilliard puts limits on the scope and the versatility of the Giants' passing game because neither Toomer nor Lewis has showed the consistent ability to catch passes over the middle. They have not proved to be the kind of receivers who make ample yardage after the catch. What the Giants' coaches like most about Hilliard is that he catches balls in traffic and is elusive with the football afterward.

Though Hilliard had just two receptions for 42 yards this season, each was pivotal to a Giants score. And at times in each of the four preseason games, Hilliard was dazzling.

''It's more than losing a starter because Ike was a special player,'' the receivers coach, Milt Jackson, said. ''He was a big-play guy and a disciplined guy; someone you could count on. Ike could get open without any help from anyone.''

Brown said, ''Ike is someone who created instant excitement when he had the ball, and we're going to miss that.''

Brown had a problem with Hudson's hit on Hilliard. ''It was kind of a cheap shot,'' Brown said. ''I saw it on ESPN this morning. I mean, he was down.''

The N.F.L. reviews videotape of all plays involving serious injuries, but it is not likely Hudson's hit will draw any additional scrutiny because Giants management does not feel it was illegal.

''We don't feel that way at all,'' Giants General Manager George Young said. ''We feel it was a football play.''

Kevin Alexander, a second-year player who has been on the inactive list for both Giants games this season, is likely to take Hilliard's spot on the team for Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Toomer or Lewis will get the start, but Alexander, who showed flashes of brilliance during the preseason, may be afforded the greatest opportunity to shine in Hilliard's absence. Alexander, though just 5 feet 9 inches, has proved to be a deep threat and has shown the kind of big-play skills the Giants will miss.

Photos: The Catch -- Giants' Ike Hilliard catching a pass in the first quarter Sunday as the Jaguars' Chris Hudson closes in. The Collision -- Hudson rolls past Hilliard after hitting the back of the receiver's head with his shoulder pads and knee. The Result -- Hilliard lay motionless for a few moments before getting up and trying to leave the field. The Aftermath -- His knees wobbly, Hillard was helped off the field by teammates then taken by cart to the locker room. (Photographs by Gary I. Rothstein for The New York Times)(pg. B7)